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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. fall — the season
  3. tube — the underground
  4. tube — a container
  5. wake — a trail
  6. fall — to drop
  7. fall — to drop
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. bear — the animal
  10. charge — in control
  11. bear — the animal
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. squash — the sport
  16. squash — to crush
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. charge — a price
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. row — a line
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. date — the fruit
  23. charge — electricity
  24. row — a quarrel

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com